26 Kansas Academy of science. 



asphaltum. Its hardness is between five and six, but it is quite brittle. Its specific 

 gravity is 4.494. It acts slightly on the astatic needle, but is not attracted by the mag- 

 net, even when finely powdered. It does not become magnetic on ignition. Difficultly 

 soluble in hydrochloric acid. 



Menaccanite is hematite in which part of the iron has been replaced by titanium. 

 Frequently an additional quantity of the iron is replaced by other elements. The 

 amount of iron thus replaced is by no means constant, and hence we have a number of 

 varieties of this mineral, which can be distinguished only by a chemical analysis. With 

 a view to ascertaining the composition of the subject of our note, the writer made an 

 analysis of it. 



About two grams of the mineral, reduced to an impalpable powder, were dissolved by 

 a mixture of strong hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids. This method of solution is 

 much more rapid than by the tedious process of fusion with potassium bi-sulphate, or other 

 fluxes. After complete decomposition of the ore, the hydrofluoric acid must lie entirely 

 expelled by heating with pure sulphuric acid. The solution is then made up to a defi- 

 nite quantity. If the heating has caused a partial precipitation of the titanic oxide, it 

 may be brought into solution by fusion with potassium bi-sulphate. The iron, aluminum 

 and titanium, in one-fifth of the solution, were separated and determined by the familiar 

 methods. From the remaining four-fifths of the solution, all the bases, excepting magne- 

 sium, calcium and manganese, were separated by means of sodium acetate. From the 

 concentrated filtrate, the manganese was removed by bromine, and calcium and magne- 

 sium determined in the usual manner. The result of the analysis is as follows: 



Titanic oxide, TiO» 47.905 per cent. 



Ferrous oxide, FeO i , 34.755 " " 



Magnesium oxide, Mg( ) 9.714 " " 



Aluminum oxide, AI2O3 6.4H2 ' 



Manganous oxide, MnO 1,897 " " 



Calcium oxide, CaO 084 " " 



Total 100.817 per cent. 



This composition does not correspond with that of any of the varieties given in Dana's 

 Mineralogy, but seems to be near magnesian menaccanite. Efforts to obtain details in 

 regard to the occurrence of our specimens have thus far been unsuccessful. The mineral 

 is of no commercial value, and is interesting chiefly because of the fact that it contains 

 titanium, one of the rarer elements. 



BIRDS NEW TO THE FAUNA OF KANSAS, AND BIRDS RARE IN THE 



STATE. 

 Captured at Wallace, Kansas, October 12 t" 16, 1ss:;. 



BY N. s. <;oss, TOI'EKA. 



Merula migratoria i>r<>i>>iuinn Ridgw. Western Robin. Saw a flock of seven; killed 

 two. 



Zonutrir/n'ii gambeli intermedia Ridgw. Intermediate White-Crowned Sparrow. The 

 birds were quite common along the railway, in the ditches and cuts, which afford both 

 food and shelter from the weeds growing and Mown in from the plains. Shot several. 

 Prof. D. E. Lantz writes me that lie killed one of the birds at Manhattan, October 9, 

 1883. The Professor is therefore entitled to the credit of adding the birds to our State 

 list. Its capture so far east is a rare find. 



Sphyrapicus varius nucfralis Baird. Ked-Naped Woodpecker. Killed a pair out of 



